Parents falling for "Voodoo Vaccination"

The Greens say educated parents are falling prey to voodoo claims on vaccination.

New South Wales MP John Kaye says it's time for the state government to take strong action against groups like the north coast based Australian Vaccination Network.

A report released yesterday showed the north coast and more affluent areas of Sydney were at risk of infectious diseases due to low immunisation rates.

Mr Kaye says normally rational people are being brainwashed by vaccination fears.

"There are educated parents out there who are falling prey to the absurd and disproved voodoo claims about vaccinations," he said.

"These conspiracy theories are dangerous and we need a government to stand up and take on every single one of them and make sure parents know that there is no space for this kind of non-science."

Local health statistics reveal the north coast is the only place in New South Wales where there have been infant deaths in the last couple of years from the preventable disease Whooping Cough.

The region between Port Macquarie and the Tweed has the lowest rate of vaccination in Australia for 2 year olds with 11 per cent of them not immunised.

Mr Kaye says the O'Farrell government also needs to do more and clamp down on groups which oppose vaccination.

"But it's not just the (north coast based) Vaccination Network that is causing problems here, there is a lot of material on the internet which goes out of its way to peddle myths and lies about the impacts of vaccination (and) it's time for the O'Farrell government to get really tough on all of those websites that are peddling the misinformation," Mr Kaye said.